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International Waters Project

Promoting the Adoption of Safe Toilet Systems in Tuvalu

7/7/2005

The Tuvalu International Waters Project (IWP) is working together with the neighbouring communities of Alapi and Senala to find ways to promote the adoption of safe, practical, and cost-effective toilet systems in Funafuti. The Tuvalu IWP is being managed by Tuvalu’s Department of Environment in partnership with the Prime Minister’s Office and the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

Kelesoma Saloa, the National Coordinator of the Tuvalu IWP, says there is now an urgent need to improve the management of toilet waste in the capital Funafuti.

“For decades flush toilets and septic tank systems have been promoted in Funafuti as the most safe and hygienic way to dispose of human waste. However our recent surveys have found that most of these systems are now leaking into the groundwater system. During high tides and heavy rains it is likely that contaminated effluent from soakage pits is overflowing into low-lying residential areas, putting people at risk from illnesses such as hepatitis, typhoid, gastroenteritis and diarrhoea,” he says.

Diarrhoea is a leading cause of death, in many Pacific Island communities, particularly in children under five years of age.

Kelesoma says septic systems are inappropriate for an atoll environment where pollutants can move easily between the groundwater system and the lagoon.

“Our surveys found that many of these septic tanks were not constructed properly to begin with. Even when these systems are well constructed, Tuvalu’s high groundwater levels, and porous soils make this technology a potential health hazard. In the densely populated areas of Alapi and Senala many of these septic tanks are now discharging directly into the ground water. The septic tanks are located too close to each other, too close to wells, and to homes,” he says.

Kelesoma says there is now an algal scum forming along the lagoon shoreline adjacent to the pilot communities. A likely impact of the nutrients discharged from the many pigpens, septic tanks and pour flush latrines leaching from the village.

In Tuvalu rainwater is the only cheap and reliable source of potable water. Most ground water is contaminated because of the extensive use of water sealed latrines, leakage from septic tanks, and from pigpens. Some wells have relatively fresh water, which is used for washing clothes, flushing toilets, bathing, and other daily uses.

Kelesoma says that people in the community first need to really understand the health and environmental risks so they can make their own, informed decisions, about the options to improve their sanitation systems.

“We’ve worked very closely with the communities to try and develop a good understanding of what potential sanitation systems might be the most environmentally, economically, culturally appropriate for Tuvalu. Funafuti is a very small community of only 4000 people and many people are living on daily incomes of less that $AUD4 per day. For this reason we believe that the construction, operation and maintenance of a centralized, fully-reticulated, wastewater treatment system is not currently a viable option for Tuvalu,” he says.

Although some urban areas of Pacific Islands countries have sewerage systems, 90 percent of the region’s population relies on using on-site systems such as pit latrines, pour flush latrines or flush septic tanks. Dr Leonie Crennan, who has worked on sanitation issues in the Pacific region for more than 10 years. She says that while these systems are acceptable when properly located away from sensitive waterways and coastlines, they are not advisable for atoll countries with vulnerable groundwater systems.

Dr Crennan believes that one of the reasons sanitation is such a low priority in Pacific Islands countries is because people literally can’t see the problem.

”While many people are concerned about the taste and colour of water, germs and pathogens are not visible to the naked eye, so many people are not aware of what they are being exposed to. In Kiritimati Island, people didn’t believe there was a connection between their flush toilets and the polluted groundwater. After a red vegetable dye was poured into one of the toilets, people were really quite shocked when they saw a pink colour appearing in one of their wells,” she says.

Dr Crennan and Kelesoma both agree that one possible option for Tuvalu could involve the introduction of dry sanitation systems, such as composting toilets, that don’t use water and don’t discharge contaminants into the ground. Once installed there is usually no cost to operate these toilets but material, such as dry leaves or coconut fibre, must be added after every use to ensure the composting process occurs. The compost also needs to be emptied from the collection chamber every nine months to two years depending on the size of the chamber and usage.

Crennan says this task is less onerous than moving a pit toilet around a house compound, and a lot less difficult than de-sludging a septic tank. However, she says getting people to change toilet habits requires a great deal of sensitivity and the community needs to be fully involved in the design and construction of any new system.

Ironically, while many people in developing countries view flush toilets as a symbol of western wealth, composting toilets are fast becoming the toilet of choice for luxury eco-lodges in sensitive areas of Australia and New Zealand.

Kelesoma says one of the main barriers is the simple fact that there is still very low awareness of the impacts that poor sanitation is having on groundwater, human health, and the surrounding environment. He says there is also limited financial and technical support available to assist households (and the Government) to install and maintain environmentally sound wastewater treatment systems.

“We are now taking a staged approach to raise awareness of the problem, develop appropriate solutions, and then to try and get people to use these new systems. Our immediate priority is to provide Cabinet with clear recommendations detailing the costs and benefits of all the solutions currently available to address this urgent problem,” he says.

Kelesoma says these recommendations will also include clear guidelines about the sort of financial, human and institutional resources that will be required to support the ongoing management of safe toilet systems in Tuvalu.

“For the IWP one of our main objectives must now be to ensure the Government has a clear mandate and the resources required to improve the management of sanitation beyond the completion of the project in December 2006,” he says.

ENDS

Contact Name	Steve Menzies
e-mail	stevem@sprep.org
Phone	(685) 21929
Fax	(685) 20231

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